Sparks from The Past
by Made of Lilies
Summary: Gina and Sonny have a childhood friend -Lily- who moves to Manhattan. Being pregnant and single, Sonny takes her as a roommate and during their time living together, he comes to see all the little things that had made him fall in love with her so long ago and sparks fly again. But does she feel the same way?
1. Dear Lily

He's hurrying up the street heading towards the cafe just around the corner. He was supposed to meet his sister Gina about half an hour ago for their weekly coffee together but duty call had ruined his plans for once more. _It's always at the worst time possible that these things choose to happen, aren't they?_

He enters slyly, making his way through the many tables and seats himself right across her. He puts on his bed smile but apparently his effort is in vain because Gina's not so happy judging from the look on her face. "Ya're late again Sonny..." she's almost whining and that brings up some quite a lot of memories from the past. Living with three sisters definitely included a lot of that.

"I'm sorry but I had work to do. It's not like I have any control over these kind of things." he puts his hands in the air and she scoffs.

"Whatever, it's too early in the morning and I haven't had any coffee. Oh! I almost forgot. Guess who's in Manhattan." she smiled excitedly.

"Someone I know?" he looks down at his menu and runs his fingers across the letters meticulously.

She hums and nods her head. "Better than anyone. She's like a forth sister in the family." she finally manages to catch his full attention as he looks up from his study, eyes widened in shock.

"Shut up! Lily?" he has a hard time taking in her words.

"Of course it's Lily! Don't tell me you've forgotten all about her. Ya haven't seen each other in what; two years?" she continues excitedly and his face beams up as well.

"More than that. Since I left Staten Island. But what is she doing here?" she giggles at his shocked expression.

"Well, we were talking on the phone like we always do-" he rolls his eyes at her words but she just ignores him and moves on "-and she said she had gotten an offer from my dance company so she took this opportunity and well...she'll be staying in Manhattan and working with me! I told her to come over. It'll be a chance to get together again. Ya don't mind, do ya?"

"No, not at all. I'd love to see her again. How is she doin'?" he tries to hide his nervousness. Gina and Lily have been friends since primary school and living so close to each other, Lily had grown to be a part of Sonny's family. Truth be told, even as a teenage girl, giggling and chattering with his sister, she was remarkably beautiful and exquisite.

 _She has always been the exact opposite of Gina, whose beauty is wild and untamed with her chocolate blonde hair in a pixie cut, her striking baby blue eyes -a feature that runs in the entire family- and her tall body build along with her temperamental -if not even blunt- personality. Lilly was petite with curves and the soft features of her face make her undoubtedly stunning. Her rich, red hair in the most classic tone and her doll-like emerald green eyes were the perfect combination._

 _But what was most endearing about her was not her appearance. It was her sweetness and her kind heart, her sympathy and the warmth and love she radiated. He also liked her voice; her silky and lyrical voice that was always so serene and her distinctive British accent; the way she would pronounce words. It was so easy to get distracted by it every time she said the smallest thing of things. Despite the fact that he was older, the three of them had always made a great trio and their dynamic was wonderful. He still kind of misses that._

His sister voice calls him back from his thoughts. "She's good. Actually, she's pregnant." her words come out and ring in his ears repeatedly. He must have overheard something.

"What? Pregnant?" he asks hesitantly and she nods her head in agreement again. "Wh-What? I didn't know she was married." he is almost whispering in disbelief.

"She ain't. News flash! We're no longer in the 50s. Women can have children out of marriage." she jokes ironically.

"Oh! So she's seeing someone and it's that serious?" he tries again.

"No, Sonny. She's single. A single mother." she states simply, like it's nothing.

"Oh..." he sighs in relief -he's not sure why. _Why should I care so much if she's dating someone and they're having a family together?_ he berates himself.

"Now, between the two of us, I wanted to ask you something. You know how hard it is to get an apartment here and especially if she's going to need space for the baby as well. She's currently staying at a hotel but that can't be for long enough until she finds a decent place. Besides, we can't just leave her alone with noone else to look after her. What if something happens? Someone must be there. If I could, I would have asked her to move in my place a long time ago but I barely have enough space for myself, let alone another two people. So I thought maybe you could offer."

"To move in with me? Jeez, Gina. I don't know...I mean, I really love Lilly and we've always gotten along great but will she even want to? I don't think she'd be as comfortable with me as she is with you. And with a baby on the way...What about the father of the child?" he stutters and she looks down with a hint of disappointment.

"Oh come on Sonny! Don't be ridiculous! You might not me bffs but you're very close no matter how much time has passed. And there's no father. I'll explain sometime. Anyways, you're the best possible solution. I don't wanna leave her looking for an apartment forever and if she's living with you, I know she'd always be safe. Do it for her if not me." she does her best to convince him with puppy eyes, another typical thing when it came to young sisters.

"Well, if that's the case...Fine." she cheers for her success and he rolls his eyes.

"Oh there she is!" she looks up excitedly towards the door and he turns his head to also at her. His jaw drops a little but he immediately realizes it and collects himself. _She looks more beautiful than ever_ he decides. She's truly shining as she smiles at their direction. That must be exactly what they mean when they say that pregnancy can make a woman gleam.

Her red hair that reaches down to her chest is just as rich and silky as he remembers it, her front strands of hair twisted a little and caught meticulously in the back of her head in the most ladylike manner. She's wearing a green dress under her thick coat, that he can tell. _Green has always looked marvelous on her, mostly because of the way it matches her striking eyes and expressed her lively personality._

She approaches quickly and Gina gets up from her seat to be the first to hug her and they look so excited to see each other. He follows hesitantly, always careful not to hurt her. It's a little awkward but he tries to ignore his nervousness. They all return to their seats and Lily removes her coat, letting her still small baby bump show beneath the loose line of her garment. She smiles again, _that warm and radiating smile he has missed for some reason._ No, don't go there he scolds himself again.

* * *

Quite some catching up -and two pieces of cheesecake that Lily had devoured in an instant- later, Gina finally managed to turn the conversation to the desirable direction. "So Lilly, Sonny and I've discussed something and we'd like to share our idea with ya. We were thinking that you should move in with him. He has a big apartment with a spare room and enough space for the baby and you'll have more support and someone to have your back at all times. What ya' thinking?" she spits out quickly and Lily's obviously shocked.

She gasps and her eyes feel with tears unexpectedly. "Jesus, you guys. You are such sweethearts. Thank you so much, but I'm afraid I cannot. I can't just be a burden on your shoulders Sonny. I'm none of your responsibility." she blinks furiously and keeps her tears under control. _Those hormones certainly got the handle of her_ he couldn't help but think.

"No, don't say that. I'd love to be of help here." he decides to take a stand.

"Really?" she looks up at both of them, her eyes full of hope and immense joy that her friends are so supportive as her smile never leaves her face once.

"Of course, honey. Besides, what could be best than a cap in the house?" Gina says strictly and giggles lightning the mood.

"Thank you. Thank you so much." Lily gets up from her seat to hug them again and finally allows her tears to trail down her cheeks. Her embrace is comforting and sweet despite the big height difference between her and Sonny.

"Well, now that's all settled so I should probably get going 'cause I've got to go help Bella with lil Maddie. You two don't mind, do ya?"

Sonny glances at Lily awkwardly but she doesn't seem to have any negative reaction. "Well, it depends. Do you think you could bear my company for a little longer without another's assistance?" she turns to him and he freezes for a while before he regains his posture.

"Perhaps." he laughs along.

"Great. I'll see you two tonight at Sonny's place, ok? We should take your stuff from my place there." she suggests and they both nod in agreement.

"Have a nice day!" Lily adds adorably before she turns her gaze back to Sonny.

"So...Sonny. It feels like ages since I last saw you. How have you been? I see you got rid of the mustache. I must say you look dashing." she jokes or so he receives her comment.

"Yeah, well things gotta change once in a while, don't they? You've changed a lot as well. You're glowing." he pointed at her abdomen that somehow seemed natural on her. _Like she was made to be a mother. And judging from her lovely nature, she probably was._

She laughs at his flattering comment. "Thank you. As long as I'm concerned though, I feel like the only thing that's really changed is my size. I feel like a timid beast with all that I eat." she jokes and he laughs but tries to make her feel better. Her statement was far from the truth.

"Nah, don't say that. Trust me, you look amazing. And it's normal to eat a lot in your state so you should get to enjoy it while you can."

"Sonny-" she moves closer to him with her seat and takes hold of his hand. Her skin is so soft and smooth against his own and he finds himself intoxicated by the contact despite its friendly nature. "Now that Gina is gone, I want you to be honest with me. If you do not really feel that comfortable with living with me, that is fine. I wouldn't wish for you to feel obligated." she seeks some answer in his deep eyes since he's unable to utter any words.

"Don't be silly. I'd love to have ya as a roommate. And I'd also love to help with the baby if you want me." he responds honestly because that's what he really thinks. _It's not like he's being dragged into this._ She smiles at his statement.

"I had forgotten how much of a sweetheart you can be." and pecked his cheek. Again, a flash went right through him and startled him.

 _Pull it together, Carisi. What's changed now? Dammit, you're like brother and sister. She's Gina's best friend and she's pregnant!_ he berated himself once again and pondered over his startling thoughts. She wasn't flirting with him; there was no desire from him for her. It was something else. A spark perhaps...

* * *

 _ **Finally! I managed to finish the first chapter of my first EVER Carisi fanfic! I'm so happy! I know I've said Barba is my favorite current character in SVU but recently I've started to rethink that. I can't really decide, I love both. But there's much less material for Carisi to be shipped with someone else rather than Rollins or Barba so I decided to take a shot with it! What do you think? Do you like it? Plz let me know by giving me some feedback.**_ _ **I love hearing your guys' opinions and suggestions.**_


	2. Still My Shortcake

**A week later...**

"Where do I put this?" he's carrying a heavy box- one of the many actually. "Oh for God's sake! Do ya need instructions for every single thing you airhead?" Gina shouts at him.

"Well if ya stopped being a bitch and buggin' all the damn time instead of minding your own business perhaps we coulda finished earlier, huh?" he snaps back at her and she angrily picks up one of his comics and throws it at him.

"Gina!" Lily raises her voice.

"Hey, that ain't cheap ya know! It's a rare!" he picks it up from the floor, looking at the slightly crumpled pages. "Wow, we ruined little Sonny's stupid comic. Go cry in the corner, will ya?" she made a grimace.

"Guys! Gina! Will you stop it?" Lily glares at his sister and he can't help but smile on the inside. She's so cute when she gets angry.

"What? He started it!" she cocks her head like a child, demanding attention.

"And I'm ending it! You cannot use poor Sonny as your punching bag! He's kind enough to help us, let alone giving me the room." her voice drops back to its calm and smooth tone.

 _This brings back quite some memories. Gina has always been a handful, always getting back at him and looking for a silly fight. It's not like there is any hard feelings between the two - it's just the way she is. And during these silly arguments it's always been that Lily would take a stand and control Gina's temper. It's not like she is intimidating, more like the opposite. She keeps her calm and speaks softly, making her point clear easily._

"Yeah like he's gonna miss it! All he had in there were toys and those ridiculous books like a freakin' 10-year-old. Grow up, will ya?" she turns her face to look at him and he's turning crimson red.

"Gina, please pipe down...And they are not toys. He owns the whole Harry Potter wand collection, he's a catch." she jokes to lighten up the mood.

"Finally someone who gets it!" he scoffs. "Toys." he sighs.

"Whatever. Are we done with this? 'Cause I gotta date and I'd like to get ready. I'm gettin' a nerd overdose in here." she chastises.

"Sure. There's not much left to do except for the cleaning. You can go if ya wanna, don't wish to keep ya." he makes an ironic grimace and Gina is about to come back at him but stops when Lily looks at her and tilts her head sympathetically, trying to end the matter.

"Neat." Gina picks up her purse from the kitchen table and gets ready to leave.

"I'm sorry but I gotta go, sweetie. Hopefully my brother will stop being a pain in the ass when he's only around ya. Good luck." she moves towards Lily, giving her a hug before she exits and shuts the door behind her. Sonny rolls his eyes and Lily can't help but laugh.

"So...are ya tired? I can finish by myself and ya can get some sleep. It ain't healthy tiring yourself." he disappears for a second in the kitchen and returns with a large bottle of water.

"Oh Sonny darling, you need not worry about me. I'm a big girl. Besides, I am pregnant, not ill. I am hungry though. Is there any way we could order something?" she looks at him with puppy eyes and his heart melts. _She is so beautiful it almost hurts to be around her._

"Yeah, of course. What d'you want? There's a great pizzeria just around the corner and I'm pretty sure I have a couple of beers in the fridge. Sounds good?" he looks back at her.

"Oh yes!" she cheers up with excitement. "Pizza sounds brilliant right now. I'm starving. But I'm afraid I cannot have any beer." she points to her swollen belly and he laughs to his silliness.

"Right, sorry. What about a soda or something? I don't think I have any but I can run to the grocery store. It'll only take a minute." he's stuttering now and she can't help but feel sympathy for him, placing a comforting hand on his upper arm to calm him down.

"Sonny! Will you please stop worrying? I am perfectly fine. You've already done far too much than you had to. I would appreciate it if you hurried with that pizza order though." she giggles and removes her soft hand, leaving his arm numb where they made contact.

* * *

 **Later that night...**

They're sitting on his couch, sprawled over every inch of room provided, eating pizza and talking endlessly about - well, everything. It dawns on Carisi that now is the perfect moment to ask the question he has longed to ask for so long.

"Can I ask ya something? And ya don't really have to answer if ya feel uncomfortable, I get it." his voice is low and hesitant, seeking approval.

"Of course, Sonny." her features soften for once more and she makes him smile with those adorable dimples of his.

"What 'bout the baby's father? He ain't around?" his sentence feels heavy with misshapen words but he still can't think of a better way to ask such a question. His eyes seek hers in search of some kind of response. He can't tell what it is she's thinking.

"No, not really. My pregnancy was more of a mistake. Birth control gone wrong I suppose you can say." she looks down at her food, not being able to face him.

"Oh...and he doesn't wanna be here with ya? Where's he from?"

"He lives in Cork and that's where I met him. I was visiting my brother and stayed there. One day, we were in a pub with some friends and he was sitting in a table across the room, constantly staring at me. When he finally approached, he was stuck to me like glue- but in a good way. He was funny and sweet so when he asked me out I said yes and well...we dated for two weeks. It's not like I fell in love with him. Absolutely no. He just made me feel nice and he was being so perfect."

"Then why did ya break up?" he can't help but continue asking questions.

"I found out he was married. You have to understand; I didn't know. There is no way I would have done something like that!" her eyes well and she's whimpering full of shame. He can feel his cheeks starting to burn with anger . _Who would ever be so stupid to hurt a heavenly creature as her?_

He swifts his body to approach her, his hands grabbing her wrists and pulling her into his arms. She stays still, shivering as hot tears escaped her green eyes that remind him of meadow, like the grass and the leaves in his yard, where they would play for hours as children, youthful and innocent as they used to be. Her heavy tears wet his shirt as he holds her in place and lets her nest into his chest.

"I..." she struggles to hold back her tears and utter the words. "I would never..." she cries, looking up to him for compassion and his heart aches at the sight, at the thought that her guilt is causing her so much hurt.

"Lily, I know. I know you'd never do that. Ya don't have to worry. He was the asshole in this story. You deserve so much better. And I promise that no matter how hard it'll be, I'll stick with ya and help ya with the baby, ok?" he caresses her back, desperately trying to comfort her.

"Really?" she somehow escapes his embrace and looks back at him again with those piercing eyes of hers. Her voice is cracking and it comes off more like a whisper.

"Yeah! You're my shortcake, remember?" he pinches her rosy cheek playfully and that brought back some memories. _He would always call her shortcake because of how sweet and cute she was, let alone her small figure._

"Aw..." she placed a hand over her heart. "Thank you so much jelly bear. You're the best." she wraps her arms around his neck and hugs him like a little child. Jelly Bear. _How he has missed hearing these words from her mouth. Gina always made fun of Sonny, calling him String Legs or Stretch, remarking how tall and goofy he appeared but Lily always corrected her and said that his height was cute so she made up this nickname for him._

He takes a shower and puts on his pyjamas quickly before returning in the living room only to find Lily spread out on his couch, sleeping peacefully. He approaches carefully, weary of waking her up. It feels like a crime doing anything to distort her peace. The beautiful features of her face are calm and soft, her eyes swollen from previously and her perfect lips slightly parted to allow air through.

 _She is a mess yet somehow still perfect. Her ruby red hair caught in a messy bun and her face clear, devoid of any makeup but still flawless. He leans in even closer to admire her full beauty. He notices her swollen belly, rising and then falling again in the steady pace of her breathing and then his eyes move up her delicate and small neck, her ample cleavage and her milky skin before they stop at her face and gaze at her porcelain skin which is adorned by her adorable freckles._

He thinks of taking her to her room but it's an absolute mess and her bed is not ready just yet so there's one final choice left. He sweeps her up in his arms smoothly and takes steady, graceful steps to his room where he lays her in his bed and covers her gently with a blanket, taking another moment to admire her. _His little shortcake._

* * *

 _ **Hi guys! Happy new year! I finally managed to finish the second chapter! I hope you like it. I'll soon finish the next one as well. I just love Carisi so much. Just so you know, this fanfic takes place in this season! (season 18) I love you guys. Please share any feedback because I really appreciate.**_


End file.
